


The Ones That Steal Your Dreams

by Imagined



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Dreams, First Kiss, First Meetings, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Implied/Referenced Torture, Light Angst, M/M, Mind Control, Nightmares, Odin (Marvel)'s A+ Parenting, Soulmates, The Avengers (2012) - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2019-03-14 16:50:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13594302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imagined/pseuds/Imagined
Summary: A Soulmate AU in which soulmates dream each other's dreams.Loki doesn't think he has a soulmate, after centuries of waiting, and even when it turns out he does have one, getting to meet Tony Stark is not as easy as he thought it would be.





	1. Part I

**Author's Note:**

> I found this in my documents. I wrote it about a month ago and then completely forgot about it, so there's that. There are just a few things I want to clarify about the AU: soulmates dream each other's dreams when they're sleeping, in between their own dreams. So they get both their own dreams, like we do, and on top of those, they see the dreams of their soulmates very clearly, if the soulmate is sleeping at the same time, that is. People dream generally 4 to 6 times in a night, so it's actually possible to have multiple dreams a night, if you were wondering about that. Most of us forget 95 to 99 percent of our dreams. 
> 
> Title was inspired by Old Man Canyon's song Phantoms and Friends, because I freaking love that song.
> 
> With that out of the way, enjoy this small au.

Loki has no soul.

And, not having a soul, you cannot have a soulmate. Or maybe it’s the other way around. He does not remember how it started. He does not know dreams, or nightmares, that are not his own, not even slightly. Everyone around him remembers them with the clarity with which you always remember your soulmate’s dreams. To make it easier to find them, some people say. To be able to comfort them, others claim. A third party says it’s both.

But what would Loki know about that?

Thor used to tell him stories about his own dreams. They sat on each other’s beds, and Loki listened eagerly, anticipating the moment his own dreams would start. He did not mind being older than his soulmate: patience was rewarded, Loki knew then.

Loki grew older, and older, until centuries had passed. He enjoyed listening to Thor’s dreams less and less the longer he had to wait. 

He thinks Thor hasn’t told him of his dreams in at least a century. It serves to both annoy Loki and it gladdens him: Thor is still his brother, and Loki _does_ want him to be happy. It’s just that he does not exactly want it to happen at the expense of his own joy. 

The only one who still whispers words of hope to Loki is Frigga. ‘’Maybe your soulmate hasn’t been born yet,’’ she says, as they walk through the halls of Asgard. ‘’Maybe they never dream.’’

Loki stops listening to her, and contents himself with her love, and his magic, and the vague dreams he never remembers completely that are decidedly his own.

~*~

And then, suddenly, one day he wakes up, recalling a vivid dream about someone’s eyes. A woman, he thinks. He definitely knows that it wasn’t Asgard – the environment looked nothing like it. He remembers her soft blue eyes. The feeling in the dream was one of fondness and dependency. 

And Loki realizes that his soulmate is born.

~*~

He doesn’t get dreams often, but he imagines that is because his soulmate is still so young. From the dreams he gets, though, he notices that it is Midgard that his soulmate is dreaming about, which means they are human. Loki does not care about that, like he might have when he was younger. He is simply glad that he _has_ a soulmate, that there is someone out there just for him. That he has a soul, after all.

Loki doesn’t tell anyone about his dreams, but one day Freya smiles at him and Loki knows that she is aware. After that, he thinks she has told Thor, because he starts mentioning his own dreams again.

~*~

Something is brewing in Asgard.

It has been some years since Loki first got his dreams, and his soulmate has had many more varieties of dreams since then. He’s male, growing into an adult, and is wickedly smart, Loki knows. He also dislikes his father, dotes on his mother, and does not want to be called ‘Anthony’. 

There is more that Loki has noticed, but while he has a lot of information because of the dreams, he is careful not to draw too many assumptions. Dreams are fickle things and not as reliable as some make them out to be.

He would’ve gone down to Midgard to meet his soulmate already, but there seems to always be something to keep him in Asgard. Odin has given him and Thor a workload befitting of princes, but Thor mostly seems to shirk his duties and go out riding with his friends. Loki does not cover for him anymore like he might have in the past. He is fed up with Thor’s irresponsible behaviour. The worst is that everyone seems to love Thor, while Loki is still seen as someone cursed to live without soul. Or soulmate. Or maybe both.

And then come the nightmares.

Multiple nights in a row, he dreams of car crashes. He hears his soulmate’s father snarl at him, sees his mother’s face. He dreams of death and bodies. He can barely sleep through them, and he grows cranky. He gathers enough to know that his soulmate’s parents have passed, and his soulmate is too young to be going through this. 

‘’Let me go to Midgard,’’ Loki says to his father. ‘’For merely a day, father. I do not need more than a day.’’

Odin looks at him with his one eye. ‘’Oh Loki,’’ he answers. ‘’But if I give you a day, you will want more. You will have to wait until it’s time.’’

‘’We make our own time,’’ Loki says, but Odin shakes his head, and that is it.

~*~

Loki finds a secret passage to Midgard by accident, the day after. Okay, well, not completely by accident, because he was looking for a way to leave Asgard without actually asking permission. He knows there are other passages to other realms, but he wasn’t aware of this one.

So in the middle of the night he leaves. He has nothing to do in the morning and he told his family he was very tired, so he has some time. He is tired, though, because of the never-ending nightmares of his soulmate. But his human is in turmoil, and Loki needs to see him, at least.

Getting to Midgard is not hard. It’s night when he arrives as well, so few people are around. It’s not even hard to find his soulmate, with a bit of magic. He is led to a manor with fences. Not that Loki will be stopped by them: he has come too far to stop, now. 

He finds his way by teleporting into the house. It’s cold, both in temperature as in atmosphere. Loki finds his soulmate almost immediately as he sees a strip of light coming from underneath one door.

He opens the door softly, and is both disappointed and delighted to see his soulmate asleep on a desk. Disappointed, because he would have liked to meet him, and delighted, because it is a lovely sight.

His soulmate’s hair is a dark brown, soft and curling at the end. His left cheek is resting on a book, but Loki has full view of the right side of his face. He still looks so young, much like a boy. Loki walks towards him silently, marvelling at the fact that if he went to sleep right now, he would know what the boy is dreaming about.

Judging by his tremors, it’s not a sweet dream.

And he knows he probably shouldn’t, but Loki carefully picks him up and lays him down in his bed. Just seeing the boy, he knows it’s not their time yet. The boy is going through something, and he’s still so very young. He needs to learn how to live on his own, and the space to build a life for himself, first. With a whisper and a touch of magic, Loki erases the nightmares from his soulmate’s thoughts, and gives way to something sweeter instead.

‘’Loki,’’ the boy whispers, asleep. Loki feels a small smile grow on his lips. His soulmate knows his name. His soulmate has seen Loki’s own dreams. His soulmate will wait for him.

‘’Sleep well, Tony Stark,’’ Loki answers, and kisses his forehead.

Then he returns to Asgard, content for now.

~*~

The following weeks, Loki only dreams of his own voice.

~*~

Things do not get easier, so to say, after that. The nightmares ebb away slowly, but Loki is very aware of the passing of time. Even if Loki had the patience of a saint, he is very aware of his soulmate’s lifespan. Of course, arrangements can be made, but for that to happen, Loki will have to have a proper meeting with Anthony Stark soon. 

Odin does not make it easy for him, though. Loki is not sure why his father continues to forbid him to go to Midgard, and there never seems to be a good opportunity to sneak out. All Odin’s manipulation does, however, is make his and Loki’s relationship even more strained. Loki doesn’t mean for it to happen, but he soon grows bitter. Thor does not seem to notice this development, but keeps telling Loki morosely about his own searches for his soulmate.

‘’There is nothing clear in the dreams, ever,’’ Thor complains to him. ‘’One day, she dreams of one thing, and a second later of another. She doesn’t even dream often! I don’t even know her name. For hundreds of years, I’ve had these dreams, and I am no closer to finding her.’’

Loki inwardly sighs, but he can’t oppose his brother to his face. ‘’There, there. I’m sure you’ll find her eventually. She _is_ your soulmate, Thor. Don’t do anything rash.’’

But Thor does more rash things before breakfast than Loki can count. No one but him seems to notice, or care. 

Loki is very fed up with Asgard and his family, indeed, and counts the days until he can finally meet his soulmate. Something will have to give, very soon.

Loki is often right. Twenty years after his little tour to Midgard and Tony, Loki awakes with sweat drenching his face.

These nightmares are worse than they have ever been.

No one will stop Loki from going to Midgard now. He will get his soulmate out of that cave, no matter what. It is time.


	2. Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> considering this thing was written so long ago, have a fast update.

Tony is naïve, when he is four. All children are. He knows, of course, about the Dreams. About what they mean and how important they are. He thinks he’s always had these dreams, but he doesn’t think his are ordinary. He wouldn’t really know, of course, because no one ever talks about them. His dreams seem very normal to him, because he’s had them as long as he can remember, and he has a good memory, everyone tells him. But lately, he’s growing to realize that the things in his dreams aren’t quite what he thinks of as normal, considering his surroundings.

His dad will know, he decides. Father always knows about everything, even if he isn’t nice about it. It’s not hard to find his dad: when he’s home, he spends all his time in the lab. Not that he’s at home often, which is why Tony has to time this right.

‘’Dad?’’ he says, as he walks into the workshop. His father, immersed in a small piece of technology so much that he is almost in it, looks up and bumps his head at the lamp. He lets out a string of curses, before looking directly at Tony.

‘’What do you want now?’’ his father mutters, rubbing his head. 

Tony shuffles. His dad can be in a really bad mood when he’s disturbed, and Jarvis is not at home to come and help him, if dad gets angry again. Mom is in Italy for the week, spending a few days with a few distant relatives. But he’s learnt early that his dad will only be more angry if Tony appears uncertain, so he answers immediately. ‘’I’m having weird dreams,’’ he mumbles, making sure not to look at the ground. 

His dad grunts. ‘’Don’t come to me if you’re having nightmares, boy. I don’t have the time for that.’’

‘’Not like that,’’ Tony says. ‘’Dreams. From my soulmate. But they’re weird.’’

Then his dad raises his eyebrows at him. ‘’They’re dreams, son. Dreams are always weird.’’

‘’But they have dragons and magic and stuff,’’ Tony protests. ‘’And a golden palace. And everyone has really weird names. And there’s one guy with a golden eye patch. I don’t like him.’’

His dad stands up from where he was sitting, and Tony takes a step back. He can’t do much to protest when his father painfully grabs his arm and hauls him outside the lab. ‘’I don’t have time for you or your soulmate’s apparent overactive fantasy,’’ his dad tells him.

Tony has to hold back the tears as his father lets him go and turns around to return to his work, without a second look at his son.

From that moment on, he resolves to never speak about his dreams again.

~*~

He’s ten when he learns that the names he’s always heard in his soulmate’s dreams are the names of Norse gods. By that point, Tony is not certain whether his soulmate is just not from Earth, or an actual crazy person. But not even a maniac would have this much imagination – or consistency in that imagination – that all Tony has dreamt of, all his life, is some kind of life outside of Earth.

So he has to believe his soulmate is actually alien. He tells no one, least of all Howard.

He doesn’t understand how his own parents can be soulmates. His mum suffers under Howard’s ire, and Tony is sure to keep his head down when at home. Life at Stark Mansion isn’t good for anyone, not with Howard there increasingly more. The only people who make it a bit better for Tony are his mother, Jarvis, and lately also Howard’s partner, Obadiah Stane. The man seems to keep Howard a bit in check, which Tony is grateful for. Still, Howard seems to lash out at Tony more often than not.

Tony has learnt to mainly ignore him, by now. And if he looks forward to the adventures Loki dreams up every night? That’s his secret.

He doesn’t even mind the occasional rage-fuelled nightmare Loki seems to have about people called Thor and Odin, at this point. He can relate to being angry at your family.

~*~

Maria smiles at him softly when he leaves for MIT. ‘’I’m sure you will do amazing,’’ she says to him. Tony just shrugs.

‘’Yeah,’’ he only says. It’s hardly going to be surprising if he does amazing. There’s few people that can keep up with him, if any. That’s not just ego, but the truth. Tony has learnt not to care if people confuse the two when talking about him. It seems that in learning to not-care about what Howard thinks of him, he’s protecting himself from other’s people’s opinions too.

‘’How are your dreams?’’ she asks him then. Tony hasn’t exactly told her that much about the dreams he gets from Loki, but it’s hardly a secret that he has them, at this point. He wakes up agitated more often than not. It seems Loki’s growing a bit tense, wherever he is.

He just shrugs again. ‘’Getting better,’’ he says. ‘’Don’t worry about it, mum.’’

~*~

Not that much later, she and Howard and Jarvis are dead. Tony returns to the Mansion, now even lonelier than it’d been when there were at least a few people to share it with, to take care of the funerals. He doesn’t think he would have managed without Obadiah. 

Something else happens, there, too. He has more of his own dreams, nightmares, really, that wake him up. Loki’s dreams sometimes seep through, but they don’t manage to soothe him like they’ve done before, and they aren’t enough to keep the nightmares at bay.

One night, he sleeps without problems. He remembers falling asleep at the desk, though, and he woke up in his bed. No one else was there, and he faintly remembers a spicy smell and a low, accented voice. He doesn’t have trouble recognizing Loki from his own description.

He doesn’t know how, and he doesn’t know why. But all following nights, he dreams of Loki’s voice, and Loki’s dreams return to him too.

~*~

Life falls into a pattern, after that. Nothing strange or weird happens, or at least, by Tony’s standards. He graduates from MIT very young with the highest grades possible, and goes on to learn how to run Stark Industries. He takes over when he’s twenty-one and revolutionizes the world.

It’s apparent he’s not getting to meet Loki on his own terms. After that vague non-meeting after his parents’ death, Tony has been thinking about him more. He feels kind of guilty for sleeping around with some people, but he’s not going to be a virgin until his soulmate finally deems it the right time for them to actually meet. No way sir. 

Tony is not very good at the waiting game. He tries to figure out a few ways to get into space. Problem is that it has to be a manned vehicle, and a ship is not the way to go for him. Not while he doesn’t actually know where in space he has to be. Or if he even can get there.

He draws up a mechanical suit, eventually, but he doesn’t have the power source he needs for it to work.

He forgets about it soon enough.

~*~

It seems life has caught up with him, though.

He wakes up, disoriented, in pain and in stress in Afghanistan. There’s only Yinsen here, who seems determined to help him save the life that, Tony realizes, has been pretty pointless up to now. Not much of a surprise that Loki hasn’t shown up, if he knows that. And Tony’s only been waiting.

But he has a legacy, he thinks. Or he would like one. Something more than someone who kills. And has his weapons shipped to criminals, apparently. Tony can still turn this around, but his heart is hurting and killing him.

He builds the suit, then. He’s resigned to being alone for the rest of his life, at this point. Loki hasn’t come in thirty-eight years; why would he come now?

But just as he is in the suit, and Yinsen is ready to become an ill-advised diversion, the door is blown apart. Two goons fall flat on their faces, two knives sticking out their backs.

Behind them stands an armoured man with dark hair and a pale face, determined expression on his face. There’s rage in his green eyes that disappears once he sees Tony, still immersed in his suit.

Loki raises his eyebrows at him. ‘’Did I interrupt an escape plan?’’ he says, and his voice is even more beautiful than Tony remembers from his dreams.

‘’Do you know this man?’’ Yinsen demands of Tony, turning around.

‘’Only from my dreams,’’ Tony says. ‘’Did you leave any of the goons unharmed?’’

Loki shrugs. ‘’Only the few that didn’t stand directly in my path,’’ he says, as if killing is an everyday part of life for him. Tony wouldn’t be surprised if it is.

He smiles bitterly. ‘’Great,’’ Tony says. ‘’Load this suit, and I’ll take care of the rest of them.’’

He does manage to get rid of the rest, though. Loki seems to be impressed, and Tony sends him a weary smile. He’s bone tired after months of captivity and torture. Yinsen is still beside him, regarding the both of them warily.

The three of them look at the destruction that they have caused – or well, mainly Loki and Tony. Tony thinks he would be more surprised to see actual magic in action, but maybe he somehow expected it after all the dreams he’s had.

‘’I do have to leave soon,’’ Loki says, apologetically. Yinsen senses that he should leave them for a bit, and strolls somewhere down the sand. 

Tony turns his head at his soulmate, unbelieving. ‘’You went to all this trouble to save me, only to leave again?’’

Loki sighs. ‘’I do not want to, believe me. My father does not want me to leave Asgard, and it’s taken me quite some weeks to find you. No one has come for me, so perhaps he has granted me leave for now. But I cannot stay. And you cannot come with me. Not yet.’’

‘’I’ve been waiting a long time for you,’’ Tony tells him, face serious. ‘’I don’t mean to let you go. Not like this, at least. Not without some way of me getting a way to talk to you.’’

Loki shrugs at him. ‘’I’ve been waiting centuries for you. Do not presume. I am loath to leave, Tony, believe me. But this is not the time. It will come, believe me. There are things I must do in Asgard first. If you are truly in need of me, call to Heimdall. I do not doubt he will listen to you: you are the soulmate of a prince of Asgard. You are mine.’’

Tony takes a step closer to him, so that their faces are close. ‘’Don’t keep me waiting too long,’’ he says, and then reaches up to kiss Loki. His soulmate responds quickly, and damn, he knows how to kiss. 

‘’I don’t mean to,’’ Loki says, and then he disappears.

Tony is still breathing hard from the kiss. ‘’Bastard,’’ he mutters, and then goes to find Yinsen. Someone better be searching for them, because he won’t enjoy walking in the desert.

Rhodey finds them, two hours later, because they got some sort of anonymous tip. Tony can only fall into his best friend’s arms and cry. He can finally go home.

Go home, and make something of his life, and wait for his soulmate to return to him. This thing isn’t over yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: This was originally it, but I have received comments about continuing this, and have been able to write three more chapters. Enjoy :)


	3. Part III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um. I actually managed to write this pretty fast, and so it turns out that you are getting more after all. there's going to be three more chapters (including this one). I mean, I assume everyone's seen The Avengers, because I skip over a lot of stuff. I'm not here for rehashing all of it, just the important bits and divergences.

It does not take long for things to get even weirder than usual, after Tony’s escape from Afghanistan.

So, well, okay, he becomes a superhero. That’s a thing he does, because even if he escaped, there are enough people out there who are doing stuff that should not be done. Besides, with a bit of help, he figures out it was Obadiah who had him kidnapped. It leads to a lot of ugly stuff.

But it’s all fine, up to that point. Tony is turning his life around. 

And just when things are beginning to be normal, everything goes south.

~*~

It’s a rough time for him, when the palladium poisoning starts. He doesn’t want to get into that whole story, though; it all ended well, even if he thought he was dying during that period. Even if he’d not known if he would ever get the chance to see Loki again.

It’s just that the whole thing is made so much worse because of Loki’s nightmares. It’s not as if Tony had the most peaceful of mind sets at that particular time in his life, but to get Loki’s dreams on top of those made certain that Tony did not spend that much time sleeping at all. 

He manages to sort his own problems, but Loki’s – not so much. And it’s killing Tony that his soulmate is going through something and he can’t help. Loki is dreaming of giants killing him, of his father letting him die. Of his brother, Thor, from what Tony has gathered, leaving him all by himself. Of not being wanted by anyone, not in the least by Tony. And there’s nothing that Tony can do but see Loki’s dreams, and feeling his own heart break.

And then, all of a sudden, it becomes even worse.

For a long time, Tony doesn’t get any dreams. He’s worried, because he can’t see anything of Loki.

It’s then that he starts shouting at this Heimdall guy, but no one answers him, and Tony doesn’t try again. It’s obvious that Loki is not well, and he’s not so sure that his home and his people are actually helping.

When Tony starts getting dreams again, it’s almost a relief – but not really. At first, when he gets the nightmares, pain and torture and fear so clear to him, Tony tries to pull through. Then he starts pulling all-nighters, because while the dreams might be vague for Loki, Tony can see them with an astounding clarity, like he’s being tortured himself. 

He is very certain, and very afraid, that it’s Loki being tortured, somewhere, by some mad man without a name. The only thing Tony knows for certain is that Loki is not doing well. It drives him mad, knowing there’s nothing he can do about it. He doesn’t know where Loki is, or how he would even get there.

The only one he can talk about Loki with is Yinsen, because no one else knows who his soulmate is. Talking with Yinsen is usually very calming, as the man himself knows Tony’s demons like no one else, and since the guy went to therapy for his apparent suicidal thoughts, he can throw some helpful advice at Tony’s less-than-stellar habits once in a while. Somehow, it works, and Tony has another friend.

But this is something Yinsen can’t help with. In the end, Tony ends up sleeping at very random times, so to decrease the time he and Loki dream at the same time. He wishes he could help Loki, but he can’t, and the nightmares are really taking a toll on him.

It continues like this, until Agent Coulson summons him for the Avengers Initiative.

~*~

At first, Tony refuses to believe it’s Loki who has taken over SHIELD. But the pictures and videos are very clear: it is Loki, and he is on a warpath. Tony isn’t sure what is happening, or why his soulmate is doing this, or how he even got here at all. 

But Loki is killing people, killing civilians, and Tony feels something in his heart constrict. Something is going on here, and it’s not right.

He goes to Stuttgart as soon as he figures out Loki’s there. Captain America is there as well, fighting his soulmate – and clearly having a hard time. He has to break up the fight, and there’s a moment in which he has to shoot either Captain America or Loki. He goes for Loki, in the end, even if something in him is screaming not to.

He can’t not. Loki is killing people.

‘’Make your move, Reindeer Games,’’ he says, as if he doesn’t care. Loki raises his hands in surrender, staring at Tony intently.

Tony’s heart is breaking, but he doesn’t let it show. ‘’Good move.’’

~*~

The jet ride is awful. Loki is just sitting there, and Tony hasn’t heard him speak yet. Natasha is keeping Fury updated, but Tony can only stare at his soulmate in bonds. He wants to ask him why, but he can’t do that in front of these people. He makes some conversation with Rogers, instead, but Tony is tense, and it’s not like he actually likes Captain America.

Then the thunder comes.

~*~

‘’Do not touch me again,’’ the man in the red cape says with a threatening look. Tony thinks he’s supposed to be impressed, but he can’t help but loathe the guy a bit. This is Thor. He’s had too many dreams starring this man to not recognize him.

‘’Then don’t take my stuff,’’ he answers, because Loki isn’t Thor’s, he is Tony’s. It’s his soulmate, and no one gets to do anything to him until Tony has talked with him.

~*~

Tony definitely would have won that fight if Rogers hadn’t interfered.

~*~

Thor tells them Loki means to rule Earth with an army called the Chitauri. Tony doesn’t believe Loki has any interest in ruling Earth at all. And even if he had, he knows Loki. He’s seen his dreams for the last forty years, and ruling – it’s not Loki’s true ambition, even if he has no qualms about it. And Loki surely knows that Tony wouldn’t want him to.

Then again, Thor also tells him Loki is adopted. Tony isn’t sure if Loki actually knew that, and if these people are really as ancient as they say – well, a truth like that must have been hard to hear. Maybe it has something to do with all the nightmares, though even if it is, Tony suspects it’s only a part of the reason.

After all the dreams he saw, all the nightmares that Loki has had about Tony’s death, he can’t bring himself to believe that Loki doesn’t care. That Loki doesn’t love him, even if they’ve only talked once. They know each other through dreams, and Tony is not going to let Loki down.

Not now he finally has the chance to save him, as Loki once saved him.

~*~

Working with Bruce is great. Talking with Captain America is less great. Tony wants to know what Fury is doing, because there’s something going on here beside Loki. Tony’s not the only one having secrets, after all.

But after that, when he’s needed a bathroom break and having JARVIS hack into SHIELD so he can talk to Loki without anyone else hearing, he overhears Thor talking to Fury.

‘’You think you could make Loki tell us where the Tesseract is?’’

‘’I do not know. Loki’s mind is far afield. It’s not just power he craves, it’s vengeance, upon me. There’s no pain that would prise his need from him.’’

‘’A lot of guys think that until the pain starts,’’ he hears Fury say.

‘’What are you asking me to do?’’ Thor says, and there’s a look in his eyes that Tony likes, because it’s clear that Thor doesn’t mean to hurt Loki. Tony hates Fury a bit, in that moment. No one gets to torture his Loki. Not again, and not while Tony can help it.

‘’I’m asking, what are you prepared to do?’’ Fury says. 

‘’Loki is a prisoner,’’ Thor points out.

Fury says something more, but Tony hurries away, determinedly. 

~*~

‘’I was wondering when you’d come,’’ Loki says, turning to face Tony.

‘’I needed to make sure we could talk in private,’’ Tony says, and he sees Loki glancing at the camera, which he has turned off. He has the doors locked, so no one can come in. It’s time for a sorely needed conversation.

‘’That may be the best solution,’’ his soulmate offers. ‘’I doubt anyone else is willing to hear what I have to say.’’

‘’You mean that I’m the only one who might not see you as an enemy,’’ Tony says. ‘’Loki. I can’t – god, it’s been four years. Your dreams – what the hell has happened? Why are you doing this?’’

Loki laughs, but it’s not merry. He’s so pale, Tony can see, and he walks to the glass, so he is closer to his soulmate. 

‘’Do you not see it?’’ Loki says, walking to the glass, himself, putting his hand against it. They’re so close that Tony can see the pores of Loki’s skin, the shadows underneath his eyes. His… blue eyes. Weren’t they green, the last time?

‘’See what?’’ he asks, staring intently at Loki’s eyes. He would swear they were green, last time.

‘’I’m doing this for you,’’ Loki whispers. ‘’You are mine, Tony Stark, and mine to protect. I would offer you this world, and keep you safe from those outside of it. There are forces out there that you cannot understand.’’

‘’Then tell me,’’ Tony urges. ‘’Loki, it doesn’t matter what there is out there, we can fight it together. Why would you ever think that I want you to take Earth? It’s not yours to take, nor is it mine. You can’t just go around _killing_ people, damn it, or taking over their minds, it’s –‘’

And then it comes to him. Intel said that Barton’s and Selvig’s eyes had turned blue when the sceptre was used on them. And Loki certainly didn’t get by that power on his own. Loki’s eyes _are_ green, but not when his mind is equally tricked. Shit. 

‘’You see it, don’t you?’’ Loki says, and Tony doesn’t know how much of this is really Loki, how much of this is the sceptre, and how much he is pretending. ‘’Only you will see it. You are half of my soul, Tony Stark. I expect no less of you.’’

‘’I need you to suppress that magic stick,’’ Tony says, and he doesn’t care if he sounds desperate as he presses his hands against the glass. ‘’I know you, Loki, this isn’t you. Who is controlling you?’’

But before Loki answer, if he’s even going to, the door is forced open and Tony jumps.

‘’What are you doing with my brother?’’ Thor roars, and he’s followed by Fury and Natasha. Thor gets to him first, though, and easily lifts him by his throat. Tony can barely breathe, and he clutches at Thor’s hand, trying to get the god to release him.

‘’If you do not let him go, I will find a way to kill you painfully and slowly, _brother_ ,’’ Loki snarls.

‘’Stark, explain,’’ Fury demands, but Thor pushes him against the glass, and it’s not like Tony can actually speak when Thor is throttling him.

‘’Thor, let him go,’’ Loki is saying, and there’s something in his voice that makes Tony hope for him, something that sounds more human than anything else he’s ever said, but he can’t breathe.

‘’Give me one good reason, brother.’’

‘’Because if you lay one hand on my soulmate,’’ Loki says, ‘’I will not hesitate to kill yours, once the time comes.’’

Tony slumps down as Thor lets him go, and clutches his neck, breathing deeply.

‘’Diva,’’ he tells Loki.

Loki shrugs.


	4. Part IV

‘’When were you going to tell us this, exactly?’’ Fury asks, arms crossed.

Tony just stares at the cup of coffee in front of him. It’s pure luck that he isn’t in a cell right now but back in the lab, because he knows that’s what most of SHIELD would have done, had anyone else been director. He doesn’t trust Fury that much, maybe, but they’ve known each other for a long time.

‘’I’m sorry that you’re not the only one with secrets,’’ he says, and stands up to move a monitor. ‘’I mean, what _is_ Phase 2, exactly?’’

‘’Phase 2 is not the subject of this conversation,’’ Fury glowers at him. ‘’Loki is your soulmate. Why didn’t you tell us before?’’

‘’What, so you can use me against him? Or him against me, maybe?’’ Tony shoots. ‘’I’ve met the guy only once before.’’

‘’But you’ve been having his dreams all your life, apparently.’’

‘’Which is why I know that Loki is not the endgame, here,’’ Tony says.

Fury stills. ‘’Then who is?’’

Tony smiles bitterly. ‘’The person who did the same thing to Loki that Loki did to Barton, I presume. Loki’s eyes are green, Fury. Not blue. This is the work of the Tesseract. And unlike Loki, you’re actually sound of mind, or at least, I think so. Phase 2, Nick.’’

‘’That’s a plan of SHIELD to make weapons with the Tesseract,’’ Rogers announces, walking in with his hands full of weapons. 

Well. It’s nice of him not to walk in a minute earlier. 

The rest of the group walks in after him. Natasha is watching him warily – he’s not sure whether she’s told everyone else. But well, what the heck. Bruce is not staring at him, but at the monitor, even if Thor is eyeing him uncertainly, and the bruises on his neck.

‘’You can decide to mistrust me all you want, but you can’t bullshit your way out of this one,’’ Tony says brightly. 

‘’Oh, but you can bullshit your way out of your soulmate killing people?’’

Okay, so the cat is out of the bag anyway.

Tony sees red. He stomps up to Fury, but Rogers steps in front of him, holding him back. ‘’Don’t take it too far, Stark,’’ Captain America says.

‘’Do you have any fucking idea what that man is coming from?’’ Tony snarls, pushing away Rogers. ‘’Do you have any idea how often I’ve woken up screaming out my lungs because of his nightmares? His _reality_? Can you imagine even _slightly_ how long he has been tortured, and manipulated, and forced? Because it’s been ever since _his fucking family let him fall_ , okay, and I know that, because I’ve been having nightmares about it for over a year now! So if you even dare laying a hand on Loki, _I will end you_.’’

‘’What did happen to him?’’ Thor asks.

His voice is trembling, and he looks like he’s going to cry. Tony pities him, right then; he knows Loki loves Thor, but kind of hates him at the same time. 

‘’It’s not him doing this,’’ Tony says, taking a deep breath. If he wants to help Loki, he has to calm down. ‘’We need to get him back to his own mind. Someone is using him, the person who gave him the sceptre. The Tesseract is the key to all of this.’’

‘’Which is why we need to find it,’’ Natasha says, sharing a look with Fury.

‘’Yeah, I’m going to go ahead and say you need shit,’’ Tony interferes. ‘’SHIELD is building weapons with it. You’re not going to get it back, I promise you that.’’

Fury opens his mouth, supposedly to protest, when there are bullets coming through the windows. Tony ducks in reflex behind a table, holding his arm in front of his face as a reflex. His first thought is for Loki, but once the firing stops, he has whole another thing to be worried about.

Where Bruce was first, there is now a rapidly growing green beast, roaring as he rips out of his clothes.

Then the Helicarrier starts going down, and there’s yet another thing to take care of.

~*~

It turns out he can work with Captain America, after all. They manage to get the Helicarrier flying again, and Tony flies his ass off to see Loki. He’s set free by his minions, their eyes shining a piercing blue. The god is waiting for him, sceptre in his hand, but his cell is gone and there's a gap where it used to be.

‘’Great,’’ Tony says, and he doesn’t dare to get out of his suit. ‘’What did you do, Loki?’’

He really needs to get Loki back to his own mind. Things are going to go wrong if it continues like this. His soulmate has way too much control over everyone, and this will never end well.

Loki smiles, but it’s vicious. It makes it only more obvious that Loki is not well. ‘’I merely showed my brother how it is to fall. I imagine he’ll be quite alright. Perhaps he will have a small bump on his head, as souvenir. Hardly a substitution for my experiences.’’

‘’What is your play, here?’’ Tony asks impatiently. ‘’You know I’m not going to let you do this, right?’’

‘’On the contrary,’’ Loki says. ‘’You’ll be my consort, as I rule Earth. You will never have nightmares again, my dear.’’

Pleading isn’t going to work. Loki is obviously somewhat aware, but it’s like there’s something in his mind that is twisting all that he knows. 

‘’ _Stark, this is Coulson_ ,’’ he hears inside the suit. ‘’ _Natasha has brought back Clint. If what you said about Loki is true, you need to hit him very, very hard. Cognitive recalibration._ ’’

Seriously? It is that easy? Well, the brain is a mystical thing. If it really works like that, it’s not as if Tony is going to complain about it. 

‘’Sorry, Loki,’’ he says, and shoots his soulmate.

Loki falls backwards, and Tony takes the moment to quickly take down the soldiers that are under Loki’s mind control. Non-lethal, of course, because they can’t help it.

Loki manages to get up rather quickly, his expression twisted with a mixture of rage, disbelief and heartbreak. Tony hates having put that expression on his soulmate’s face, but he has to remind himself that he’s only doing it for Loki.

‘’You were supposed to _love_ me,’’ Loki says, and he doesn’t shout it, doesn’t proclaim it loudly, but it’s like he is a little boy, asking for someone to finally give a shit about him. Tony almost can’t bring himself to fire again, but he must. He must.

Tony gets up, and tries to punch Loki, but his soulmate defends himself. ‘’I’m doing this only _because_ I love you,’’ Tony says. Maybe he has to hurt Loki, but he’ll be damned if he doesn’t tell him the truth, too. 

Loki doesn’t let him land a punch easily, and Tony doesn’t get the opportunity to grab Loki and smash him on the ground, or something. In fact, Loki is a very skilled fighter, and Tony doesn’t get the opportunity to do much but shoot at him with the repulsors.

Okay then. Tony can only hope for the best and prepare for the worst. He throws all his weight in the game, and flies at Loki without any other move planned, pushing his soulmate into the gap where the cell first was.

With a shocked look on his face, Loki falls, and within a split second the hand which is not holding his sceptre stretches out to Tony as if to ask for help.

And then he’s gone.

Tony disassembles the suit, looking at the gap. 

If this didn’t work, he’s not sure he can live with himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> only one more to go :)


	5. Part V

Loki wakes up.

He’s lying in a field of grass, a flower tickling his nose. With a groan, he sits up, and looks at the sky. His entire body is hurting, but that’s maybe not so much of a surprise after the kind of dive he took. Even gods aren’t invincible. 

Memories start trickling back to him, and Loki tenses, even if he doesn’t mean to. What has he done? He needs to get back to Tony, immediately, and tell him about everything that’s happened, that he didn’t mean for this to happen.

His head is still aching, and it’s like he’s seeing double. He can still rationalize his earlier thoughts, but he knows now that something isn’t right about them, that he was under the influence of the sceptre, too. Thanos has been in his mind for a long time now, and having him out feels somewhat unsettling, even.

Loki forces himself to stand up. The sceptre is lying somewhere to his left, and he picks it up with a numb feeling. He’ll need this yet, but he’d like to throw it somewhere far away and never see it again. All he wants is to contact Tony.

He remembers the heartbreak on his soulmate’s face, and feels his heart clench.

~*~

He doesn’t manage to contact Tony then, but he does manage to find Thor.

His brother is sitting beside his hammer, looking up at the sky desolately. ‘’Thor!’’ Loki shouts. Thor looks up, Mjölnir flying to his hand. He doesn’t strike, though, even if there’s a wary look in his eyes. Loki can’t exactly blame him – even before he fell into the abyss, he fought Thor in Asgard. That was his own choice, and Loki still feels bitter, but there are other things to be taken care of right now.

‘’Loki,’’ Thor says, voice neutral.

‘’Stand up, you moron,’’ Loki snaps at him. ‘’We need to get to Stark Tower. Selvig is opening a portal right this moment that will allow the army through.’’

Thor’s expression becomes slightly more hopeful. ‘’You are returned to us?’’

‘’Don’t think this means I won’t stab you later,’’ Loki says, but it seems there’s nothing he can say to wipe Thor’s smile off his face.

~*~

They arrive too late. Loki can see the Chitauri pouring out of the sky, overwhelming the small band of humans trying to fight them. He can see Tony in his armour flying all over the place, and is overcome with affection for his soulmate. He remembers seeing Tony when he was little more than a child, sleeping on a desk, mourning for his parent. That young man has grown into a strong man, someone worth waiting for. Loki couldn’t feel more proud to see him stand up against the army, but he also wishes it wasn't necessary.

They arrive at the same time as Banner does. The timid man gives Loki an odd look, but Thor moves in front of him as if to vouch for him, and the human makes no remarks as the other heroes come down to meet them.

‘’I have to say, the three of you would be welcome additions,’’ the Captain says. There’s dirt on his face, but his blue eyes are hopeful. 

‘’Do we really have to let Loki help?’’ Barton says, shooting Loki a dirty glance.

‘’Play nice, Legolas,’’ a familiar voice says, and the Iron Man suit lands, faceplate open. Tony may be addressing Barton, but his eyes are fixed on Loki, asking a silent question. Loki nods, and Tony continues. ‘’Loki was just as manipulated as you, and for far longer. Any plans on how to stop this?’’

‘’Selvig may have more answers than I have,’’ Loki says, and he holds out the sceptre. ‘’I imagine he’s still under the sceptre’s influence.’’

‘’Didn’t that stop when you broke free?’’ Romanoff asks. 

‘’The mind tricks do not come from me, but from the sceptre,’’ Loki explains. ‘’You’ll have to, well, break it the old-fashioned way.’’

‘’Guys, we have a big one incoming,’’ Tony says, looking up. His faceplate slaps shut, and the fighting begins in earnest, the Captain commanding them to their places. Loki follows for now. This isn’t the place for defiance – this is a war, and he needs to keep his soulmate alive.

Not that Tony isn't doing a commendable job, though. They fight side by side, Tony in the air, Loki on the streets, and though the circumstances are less than ideal, he enjoys seeing this side of his soulmate.

‘’It’s not doing enough,’’ Thor says beside him. ‘’We can’t keep off the Chitauri forever. Loki?’’

‘’A bit busy here, brother,’’ Loki tells him, snapping the neck of one Chitauri before stabbing another one with his sceptre. ‘’Have you stopped Selvig yet?’’

‘’ _Selvig says we need your sceptre to stop it_ ,’’ they hear Natasha say. ‘’ _Come up right now and we can close the portal_.’’

‘’ _Thor, get him up, I’m a bit busy here_ ,’’ Tony says, and Loki can see him in the distance as a bunch of Chitauri follow him. Thor holds out his arm for Loki, who sighs, but takes it. The portal, when they get to it, shines a bright blue. Selvig is lying on the ground, clutching his head, but manages to glare at Loki all the same. Loki ignores it, walking to the portal with his sceptre instead, poking it experimentally. It seems to be having some effect. 

‘’I can close the portal,’’ he says. 

‘’Do it,’’ Natasha says, and Loki moves forward.

‘’ _Wait!_ ’’ Tony says, and Loki stops immediately. 

‘’We need to close this portal, lest more Chitauri will get through!’’ Thor says, gesturing at Loki, but he doesn’t move. If his soulmate tells him to wait, no one will ever get him to move.

‘’ _I got a nuke coming in and it’s going to blow in less than a minute. And I know just where to put it_.’’

‘’ _Stark, you know that’s a one-way trip_.’’

Loki’s heart stops and he drops the sceptre. ‘’Tony, I swear, if you do this, I’ll kill you myself. Tony? Do you hear me?’’

‘’ _Loki. I’m so sorry we didn’t get more time. But this – we can’t let this thing blow up the city. I love you, okay? I’ve always loved you. Sweet dreams, darling_.’’

And then Loki has to see his soulmate flying into a wormhole, carrying a nuke and the weight of the world on his shoulders. 

‘’ _Close the portal_ ,’’ he hears the Captain say, and before Loki can do anything, the Black Widow has grabbed the sceptre from the ground. She stares at Loki, and he stares back, holding up his hands in surrender.

‘’Don’t,’’ Loki warns her.

She closes the portal.

~*~

Loki can only watch in apprehension as the portal starts to close itself. The Chitauri all fall down, as his soulmate has apparently managed to put the nuke where he wanted to. But the portal is getting smaller and smaller, and Tony is in space. 

Until he’s not. Loki lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding when the suit falls out of the sky, just before it closes. But then he has to watch his soulmate plummet to the Earth, his Iron Man suit perhaps turned into a coffin.

‘’He’s not slowing down,’’ Thor says, and is ready to fly, when the big green monster catches Tony instead.

‘’Get me down to him,’’ Loki orders his brother, not even caring about the sceptre now that its work is done. All Chitauri are lying lifelessly on the ground, and all he cares about is that his soulmate is not doing the same thing. Thor doesn’t even hesitate before bringing him to the place the Hulk has brought Tony.

The Captain is already there, crouching beside Tony, a worried expression on his face.

Loki falls on his knees beside his soulmate, ripping off the faceplate. Tony’s eyes are closed, his face very still. He doesn’t seem to be breathing. Loki doesn’t hesitate to bring his own lips to Tony’s, breathing into him.

He continues like that, until a hand on his shoulder pauses him. Thor is standing above him, apologetic look on his face. ‘’Loki,’’ he says softly, and nothing else, but Loki knows that he thinks this is futile. That all Loki is doing is putting off his suffering, choosing to believe when there’s nothing to believe in.

But then Tony breathes in, opening his eyes as he sits up, struggling. Loki helps him, breathing out in relief.

‘’Loki?’’ Tony says bewildered, as Loki flies him around the neck. ‘’What the hell happened? Did you kiss me?’’

‘’Repeatedly, you fool,’’ Loki says, as he brings their lips together once again.

‘’I take it we won?’’ Tony asks, as they break apart. His armoured hand rests on Loki’s waist, though, as if he’s not quite ready to let go either.

‘’We won,’’ the Captain says, with a relieved little smile.

~*~

There’s a lot to be done, in the aftermath. SHIELD doesn’t like it, but Tony refuses to hand over Loki, and considering that they also don’t put any pressure on Barton or Selvig, Tony manages to convince them that Loki is fine staying with him. It probably wouldn’t have worked, had Loki not been his soulmate.

It takes hours upon hours, but then they have some time to themselves. Stark Tower is mostly broken down, so they can’t stay there, but Tony has some apartments just out of the city that he brings them to. On their way there, Loki is mostly silent. That’s probably because Thor is coming with them as well – the guy didn’t have anywhere else to stay, and Tony didn’t have the heart to turn him away.

But when they’re finally alone together, Tony finds that he doesn’t quite know what to say.

Loki lets out a small laugh. ‘’The past few days have been truly odd,’’ the god says, and then they’re both laughing until they can’t stop.

When they calm down, Tony pulls Loki towards him and to a bed. ‘’We are going to sleep,’’ he tells his soulmate, ‘’And then we’re going to figure out how we’re going to play this. Because if there’s one thing I know, it’s that you’re not leaving me anymore. From now on, we’re going to do this together.’’

‘’I would like that,’’ Loki says, smiling down at him softly.

~*~

Maybe it’s not that much of a surprise that Tony does not manage to sleep through the night. Loki shakes him awake, demanding of him to wake up, hugging him tightly and pressing kisses to his skin as Tony shivers, recalling the terror.

‘’I’m sorry you had to see that,’’ Loki says, and there’s a haunted look in his eyes. Tony thinks that his nightmares maybe remind Loki of his own similar ones.

Tony breathes deeply, forcing the images away. ‘’Come here,’’ he says, and he spends the night cuddling into Loki’s arms, breathing in his soulmate’s scent. They have more to share than merely dreams now, and Tony means to make use of that. 

~*~

It is a sunny day, when Loki and Thor are set to return to Asgard. Thor has to return, and must bring the Tesseract and Loki with him. Tony comes with them. As Loki’s soulmate, he has a right to defend Loki’s actions, and him having protected Earth helps on that front.

It may not start out ideally, but at least Loki is not a prisoner. There is something bigger than all of them coming, Tony knows now, but they have some time to figure that out. He takes Loki’s hand, as Thor holds the Tesseract. His soulmate squeezes it, and Tony squeezes back to reassure him. No matter what will happen on Asgard, Tony will be there for it all the way.

No one is going to break them apart now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was overwhelmed by the support for this story, considering I got way more feedback than I usually do, so thank you all for your lovely comments and kudos. I had a blast writing this and seeing how much you enjoyed it, so thank you all for that! I hope the ending is a bit more satisfying, now :) If you want to find me on tumblr, my username is [tonystarrks](http://www.tonystarrks.tumblr.com)!


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